Mill Spring, N.C. - The 2017 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships sponsored by Deloitte began Friday with competitors performing the FEI Team Test, the first of three tests in the competition. U.S. athletes finished on top in all five grades to put the Deloitte U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team ahead of Canada.
With National Championship titles on the line, Friday’s Team Test will account for 40% of the overall championship totals. Saturday will feature the Individual Test, which contributes another 40% towards the competitors’ overall scores. The top one-third of athletes will move on to compete in Sunday’s Freestyle Test, which will round out the remaining 20% of the total score. The top scores from the Deloitte U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team from the FEI Team Test and the Individual Test will determine the team placement.
Margaret McIntosh (Reading, Pa.), a 2016 Paralympic team member, and her Heros, a 13-year-old Danish Warmblood mare, won the Grade I FEI Team Test today with a score of 70.476%, putting them in the lead for the Grade I USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championship sponsored by Deloitte. The pair presented a lovely picture, with high marks from the judges.
Canada’s Winona Hartvikson and Ultimo placed second with a score of 69.226%, while fellow U.S. Paralympian Roxanne Trunnell (Rowlett,Texas) and her NTEC Daytona Beach, a 15-year-old Westphalian mare, took home third-place honors with a score of 68.571%. Trunnell also represents the Deloitte U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team, so her score will count towards the team’s overall success. View the Grade I FEI Team Test results.
In the Grade II FEI Team Test, and leading in the Grade II USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championship sponsored by Deloitte, it was Laurietta Oakleaf (Coatesville, Pa.) and Niekele Fan Busentiz that came out on top. She and the 13-year-old Friesian stallion she owns with Laura McGinnis scored a 69.899%, earning their ninth blue ribbon of 2017.
Canada’s Sharon Buffitt and Elektra II and Jason Surnoski and Bella de la Noche tied for second with scores of 63.838%. View the Grade II FEI Team Test results.
The Grade III FEI Team Test was contested by all U.S. athletes. Two-time Paralympian Rebecca Hart (Wellington, Fla.) with El Corona Texel came out on top with beautiful test and leading the Grade III USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championship sponsored by Deloitte. She and Rowan O’Riley’s eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding scored a 68.039%. Riley Garrett (Chester Springs, Pa.) and her 14-year-old Thoroughbred-cross gelding Piston were not far behind with a score of 67.941%. Rounding out third place was Meghan Benge (Windsor, S.C.) and her 10-year-old Welsh Pony mare Zoey with a score of 61.863%.
U.S. athletes swept the top-three positions in the Grade IV FEI Team Test. Paralympian Angela “Annie” Peavy (Wellington, Fla.) had a stellar day in the ring, claiming the top two spots and leading the Grade IV USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championship sponsored by Deloitte. She and Lancelot Warrior, Rebecca Reno and Heather Blitz’s 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding, scored the highest score of the day, across all grades and tests, with a 70.583%. Peavy and her mount for the U.S. team, Royal Dark Chocolate, Rebecca Reno’s nine-year-old Oldenburg mare, scored a 69.042% for second place, counting towards the overall team score.
Also a member of the U.S. team, Michele Bandinu (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and his eight-year-old Oldenburg gelding Soulman 13 rounded out the U.S. top three with a score of 66.750%. View the Grade IV FEI Team Test results.
With lovely rides and smooth transitions from both U.S. athletes competing in the Grade V FEI Team Test, it was Katie Jackson (Austin, Texas) and Royal Dancer who came out on top and now lead the Grade V USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championship sponsored by Deloitte. Jackson and Julia Handt and Rachel Zent’s 12-year-old Westphalian gelding are the fourth and final member of the U.S. team and their score of 67.093% will count towards the team total.
Mary Jordan (Wells, Maine) rounded out the CPEDI3* competition as the last rider of the day on her 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding Rubicon 75. The combination placed second with a score of 66.318%. A huge smile and a hug for her big, chestnut horse after the test’s completion, as she exclaimed “what a fantastic horse,” was an infectious and cheerful end to a great first day of competition for the U.S. athletes.
U.S. athlete Robert Bezzeg (Campobello, S.C.) and his 16-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Bedroom Pal contested the Grade V CPEDI1* Novice Test A, scoring a 60.156%.
The CPEDI3* and USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships sponsored by Deloitte schedule can be found here. Live streaming for both the FEI CDI-W and FEI CPEDI 3* competitions will continue on Saturday and Sunday, September 16 and 17 beginning at 8 a.m. EST, and will be available on USEF Network. The live stream is only available to US Equestrian members; however, a special promotional code for viewing is available.
Watch the US Equestrian Learning Center video to learn more about para-equestrian dressage. Plus, follow us on Facebook (@USAParaDressage and @USEFNetwork), Instagram (@USEFNetwork), and Twitter (@USEFNetwork) for all the latest from the competition.
The USEF International High Performance Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, USOC, and USEF Sponsors and Members.